FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Queen of Hearts
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Photographer: Mackenzie Thrasher of Gold Spirit Visuals
Outline the story …
Allow me to introduce the Queen of Hearts as she may have appeared in the courts of Europe in 1865 – the year in which "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll was first published. As memorable as the Queen is, the author gives no physical description of her, leaving the reader to picture her based on actions and speech alone.
From her actions, I see a woman who thrills in her own power. She is self-absorbed, petty, loud, bold, and unaccustomed to being questioned. She is also incredibly shallow, with no more depth of feeling than the playing card she represents. As such, I have created a gown that is both a statement of power and a form of symbolic armour for the Queen to present to the world. The yards and yards of expensive silk-based fabrics represent luxury and wealth. White is not only the colour of a playing card, it was also the colour of court gowns in 1865. White fabric is expensive to maintain and clean, and the use of such quantities imply a team of laundresses at the ready to maintain its pristine hue. The gown's use of exotic laces and furs harken back to days of sumptuary laws when only the elite could wear such finery. The heart symbols represent the Queen's house, the seat of her power.
In sum, this gown screams to all present that this is the woman in power. She commands the room with abundant wealth if somewhat questionable taste.
Outline the construction…
The gown is made of 8 yards of white polyester taffeta, with accents of red and black satin, lace, velvet, and faux fur.
The bodice was flat-lined with a poly-cotton blend. The seams were hand-felled with the exception of the sleeve seams which were reinforced with twill tape. Prussian tape created the boning channels and I used zip ties for the bones. The back was spiral-laced with hand-sewn eyelets. The seams were piped with black satin to mimic the border on a playing card. The bertha collar was based in the same polyester taffeta and covered in 6 yards of lace - including some hand-painted lace. Rose and heart rosettes with faux pearls complete the details and trim.
The skirt was also lined with the poly-cotton blend using a modified bag-lining method. Satin piping, ribbon rosette trim, box-pleated hem, and faux pearls were used to trim. The train was created from 3 yards of velvet and faux-fur trim to add an air of luxury to the ensemble.
This costume presented numerous challenges for me. I drafted the bodice and gown on my own, having previously never drafted anything more complicated than circle skirts. I made my own piping (first time!), hand-made the rosette ribbon trim (first time!), and sewed and ironed what seemed like miles of box-pleated hem. This was the most complex and satisfying garment I have ever constructed.
Stunning!
So many pretty details
Thank you! <3
I love how you can basically “zoom in” on this outfit and find more and more details that evoke the theme. Only the Queen of Hearts would be sooooo over the top yet instist that her lipstick shade and her jewellery is a perfect match to the trim of her gown. And your eyelets are a thing of beauty!
Thank you so much for noticing! I have to admit I have a rare love of hand-sewing eyelets.
A lot of details on that gown! You did a great job, it looks wonderful♡
Thank you!